The Concept of "Parent Duty" was conceived by Mr. Guy Durant, a resident of Washington, DC because Public Schools in Washington, DC are not "Parent" Based and therefore are suffering from poor performance despite high per capita spending per student. Many reasons have been given for why the schools are under performing. My thesis is that it is not one variable but multiple issues that must be addressed. However, all school issues can be controlled at a public school administrative level except for one big piece: The Parents. I therefore raise the controversial issue of passing a law that would require "Parent Duty". What is "Parent Duty"? Similar to "Jury Duty" it is a recognition that just as our Obligation to the Court and Criminal Justice System requires each Citizen to serve on "Jury Duty", we should prioritize our greater obligations to each other in our community by likewise establishing court enforceable "Parent Duty" for all Parents or Legal Guardians of Public School attendees. Why such a drastic legal framework and obligation? Well, first of all, we are our brother's keeper. One of the great predictors of poverty and subsequent criminal histories are the lack of education and high school dropout rates of criminal perpetrators. I will not cite statistics here since I believe the evidence is ubiquitous. If we spend so much money on criminal justice and often spend more on our legal system than we do on our school systems, isn't it ironic that we don't "prevent" such cycles of crime and poverty by doing whatever it takes to improve and prioritize Education which can prevent such downward spirals of "at-risk" student populations often who fit a profile of poverty, single parent households and truancy and poor health care. By requiring Parent(s) to attend the "Summons" or Mandatory Attendance at Parent/Teacher Conferences to discuss and face the issues public school officials have with poorly performing or disruptive students, we can help to reduce the need for suspensions and other traditional methods of school discipline and shift that burden of accountability back to where it should fall: The Parents.
So how does "Parent Duty" work? Similar to "Jury Duty". The school officials (Teachers and Principals) would have court backed authority to "Summon" a Parent at least once a semester or quarter to the School to sit down with the student and their teachers to discuss discipline and academic problems and any other problems relevant to the health, safety and welfare of the child. Social workers, child welfare and law enforcement can be invited to these meetings if the school feels that further intervention is needed in the child's life after repeated "Summons". Just as skipping "Jury Duty" is an illegal act and you can be fined and/or imprisoned and a warrant be issued for your arrest if you fail to appear; so can Parents or Legal Guardians be issued Warrants for Arrest or be issued Fines for failure to appear at School to answer and face questions about their child. Further, Just as Employers are Required by Law to give Leave of Absence for employees serving on "Jury Duty" and are not allowed to deny leave or punish those serving on "Jury Duty"; similarly, the "Parent Duty" laws would make it illegal for employers to discriminate against parents or legal guardians who must appear at "Parent Duty". There would also be incentive for Parents to make sure children are well behaved at school to not have the social stigma of being summoned under force of law and to avoid the embarrassment at work. However, since poor and dysfunctional families are also at risk of higher unemployment, it would be better if a Random "Lottery" system similar to the "Jury Duty" lottery system would pick from at least once a year all parents or a select group being required to attend a PTA or Parent Teacher Meeting at least once a year to keep the stigma to a minimum and make sure that all parents whether affluent or poor attend their child's school at least once a year to meet with their teachers. This type of Mandatory communication between parents and teachers benefits everyone and the community and truly leaves no child left behind due to parental circumstances. The accountability issue of "Parent Duty" is not so much designed to make Parents accountable to Principals or Teachers, but accountable to everyone in the community. This is what good parenting is about: "Involvement". It is a social priority that we all serve on "Jury Duty". Now it is a priority that all parents serve on "Parent Duty". The next step is to have all "Involved" parents support the PTA and the PTAs be empowered to directly hire and fire the Teachers and Principals so that there is a 360 degree full circle of accountability by everyone. This Website will help those of us that wish to advocate for "Parent Duty" and similar school improvement ideas to Blog and Share Ideas about how we can best do that. This is a start. This is one idea to start a drastic but much needed change. Please join me in asking your elected and school officials to endorse local and national "Parent Duty" laws across America. Thank you. Guy Durant.
